A few thoughts from our Mission Conference
First thing first, I wanted to share a few thoughts that I learned from our mission conference yesterday, with Pres. and Sister Palmer accompanied by Elder O'Riordan of the Seventy as speakers:
- The Lord will guide a “moving missionary”
- People are watching you all the time
- You are always gaining trust or losing trust from the members
- If we focus on our purpose we will be changed and powerful missionaries
- As missionaries better understand the doctrine of Christ their attitude will change in how they teach about repentance and baptism
- A missionary who really knows his purpose truly wants to know what is in the heart of his investigators and will not be afraid of the answers. He will be looking for ways to help them strengthen their faith, repent and be baptized.
- You won’t be effective if you don’t love Australians.
- Notice the miracles in your mission and share them each week
- Cast aside anything that is YSA about you – live your missionary purpose
- Require Heavenly Father to bless you with miracles because of your obedience and faithfulness
- Have a goal for ONE BAPTISM PER MONTH per companionship
These are just some of the many notes that I took at our conference yesterday. Man! it was inspiring. Such a needed conference. President Palmer is the man! He knows how to make things happen! I look forward to witnessing the growth that the mission has over the next little while.
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| We just came across this picture from a Canberra Zone Conference several months ago. |
I also wanted to share a couple of miracles that Elder Wulf and I witnessed during this week. The first happened last Saturday. Saturday, we got up and went to the chapel to start playing b-ball at 6:30 with our ward, then we had MCM (Missionary Coordination Meeting) at 8am. Following MCM, we had a service project at one of the members homes that took up a long time! Heaps of time! And it was tiring. Yet rewarding. Friday, we committed to help an older man paint his house, not at a specific time. But this other service project took a great deal longer than we anticipated. But we had committed to help out, so we went over anyways. And they were all done. Dang! We felt bad. But the sister missionaries in our ward had all come to help out, so they weren't at all lacking hands (with six sisters helping, I don't think anyone would complain).
I volunteered the help of 4 young, strapping missionaries
So we went outside to go to the car. And I saw a family doing a bunch of yard work two doors down from this member's home. So I went over and volunteered the help of 4 young, strapping Elders. They were so gracious! We helped them do things that would have taken hours by themselves in a matter of 30 minutes. Lucky we were dressed in service clothes? Nawww, that was inspiration! Cool beans! They asked us to visit them and to share our message with them. They are very open, especially after that service that we were able to provide. They recognized and expressed that God had sent us to assist them in their time of need. We will continue to follow up, and hopefully help them return to the fold.
A train of miracles
Another miracle, or rather a chain of miracles, that we witnessed yesterday as we opened our mouth and talked with everyone: We decided that all of the Elders in our zone would take a train to Campbelltown, because there are not enough cars to have everyone drive. And we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. So we did. After the conference was over, Elder Wulf and myself traveled swiftly to the train station from the chapel. As we got into the station, there was a woman of Polynesian descent that we started talking to. She apparently went to an LDS chapel for years in Hawaii, never was baptized, and knows that the church is true. Awesome! We got her details, and will soon be passing her on to the Campbelltown missionaries. We felt that it was a tender mercy.
We looked back into the train and saw her reading the Book of Mormon!
So we decided to continue trying to talk with everyone. We got on the train, sat in seats right next to each other, and started talking to separate people. The woman that I talked to has been prepared. She has cousins who have served and are currently serving LDS missions. I talked to her for a long time about her family members that are LDS. And she expressed that she never really knew what Mormons are about. She asked if I would tell her. I decided that I would take the opportunity. Of course I did!
We talked about prophets, and their significance in the lives of God's children. We talked about the basic principles of the Gospel, which she understood and accepted as truth. And then we talked about the Book of Mormon. That sparked a light. I taught what the Book of Mormon was, bore testimony of its truthfulness, then shared with her Moroni's Promise. When asked whether or not she thought that it could be true, she essentially expressed that she felt it was. The Spirit touched her heart. We exchanged contact info just as Elder Wulf and I walked off the train. She said that she was going to call her cousins about this. Apparently she lives in Liverpool during the week! Sweet as! And as icing on the cake, we looked back into the train and saw her reading the Book of Mormon! What a miracle!
Fire and brimstone from the Doctrine and Covenants. Yay!
We have been promised so many miracles as we open our mouths and share the gospel. In D&C 100, it says "5) Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; 6) For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say" I promise you members out there that this promise applies to you. As you open your mouths to your friends, your mouth will be filled, and you will know what to say, and who to say it to. That is a promise. I know it is true. Another scripture says that "it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor" (D&C 88:81). You have been warned. Do it! Warn your neighbors! If we don't, we are warned "He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand" (D&C 107:100).
Fire and brimstone from the Doctrine and Covenants. Yay!
An update on the haps of other things here; we caught B_ at home last week. He has been sooo busy! But he is still so keen. We have an appointment with him today. So hopefully that goes well. My first week with Elder Wulf was awesome (as you can tell from the miracles that I shared). He continues to teach me so much, and we have become great friends! It is good to hear from the family. Looks like all is well!
The Lord doesn't want missionaries to be too comfortable
Ezra, I change companions because the Lord doesn't want missionaries to be too comfortable with anyone. And square dancing looks cool, JJ!
I love you guys heaps! Hope your week is fantastic! And remember to open your mouths this week! I hope to hear how it went next week when we email.
Love,
Elder Larsen
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